"Okay, I hope I've addressed most of your questions. So, let's get started on your reward, kid "saying that the Grandmaster rose from his seat.
"My name is David Foster,"
"Ah! that's right! How rude of me, I still had not asked for your name...a pleasure to meet you, David!"
We both stared at each other and shook hands.
After finishing my tea, I trailed behind the grandmaster.
'Hehe, it's time for my reward.'
****
I was taken aback as soon as I walked out of the room. In front of me was an inexplicably gorgeous garden. As I stood there blankly, entranced by the spectacle, I was mesmerized by the scene.
The garden's surroundings were vibrantly covered in lush green foliage, with a large translucent pond in the center where fish of various sizes freely swam. The bamboo fountain in the garden made a repetitive but pleasant sound every now and then, while birds chirped and soared freely around the cloudless blue sky.
The more I walked around the garden, the more I was captivated by the sights.
The Grandmaster crossed the garden and took a position in front of a large tree.
He inhaled deeply and rested his palm on his sword's sheath.
His form gradually blended into the environment, giving the appearance that he was one with nature.
-Rustle
A sudden blast of wind blew through the trees, causing a couple of leaves to fall.
The wind had blown away the leaves, and they began to fall near Grandmaster.
-Click!
My jaw dropped as I heard a clicking sound as the leaves encircling Grandmaster separated into eight identical pieces.
The sword that appeared to have never left the scabbard returned to its original position with another click.
"Perfection is the art of the [The Dark shadow sword style]." You'll know you've perfected the [The Dark shadow sword style] when you can consistently repeat the same action with no margin for error."
I attempted to keep my cool by closing my eyes.
My heart was racing, and my blood was boiling. 'Wow, that was crazy! Oh my god! How did he manage to trim those leaves so flawlessly without even moving his hand? That's something I'd like to do as well!'
"The [The Dark shadow sword style] is a sword art that emphasizes repetitive but flawless cuts. Someone is not worthy if they cannot practice the same monotonous motion for more than half a day straight, such as swinging the sword in the same direction."
"That settles the sword part but do you know why I call this Dark shadow?" The grandmaster asked.
'I have no idea. It doesn't mention in the novel.'
I observed the grandmaster.
The surroundings went absolutely dark all of a sudden. The eyes of the grandmaster are bright red. He appeared to be merging with the darkness. My entire body began to shiver. The amount of pressure exerted is enormous. He had the appearance of a devil. No, devils are far less frightening than he is right now.
No wonder the demons would fear him and humans keep their distance from him.
"The power of darkness flows through every shadow, but this darkness becomes invisible when the world is shadowed. Even the light will be engulfed by it."
-Click.
"Huh?"
'Gulp'
He came in front of me out of nowhere, his sword slung across my neck.
'Fuck. When did he make his move? I didn't even bother to blink. 'Wow, that was quick.'
He returned once more.
"This darkness will shine even brighter as the night grows darker."
I paid close attention to what he was saying.
"Can you think of one thing that darkness is good for?"
'Who knows?' I kept my mouth shut.
"Even if blood spills on it that won't be visible. Haha"
'So vicious.'
"Reminiscing about my younger days, when I could slash through a thousand demons with a single slash. Haha, Good old days.'
'Holyshit. In a single cut, more than a thousand demons are slain. I discovered a diamond mine. That's not the case; this is far more valuable.'
'What a jackpot.'
"However, you still have a long way to go. You must be a grandmaster to reach the ultimate darkness. Until then, everything I've shown you is a myth."
'I already expected that. It's not gonna be easy in the first place. Nevertheless, this sword art gonna belongs to me.'
"You are currently insufficient. You must improve your sword fundamentals. You haven't even wielded a blade yet, based on your appearance. This will be determined by your physical strength and agility. Make an effort to improve your physical strength and agility."
'I've got a lot of work ahead of me.'
The grandmaster then launched something at me. When I looked at it again, I was taken aback.
"T-This...?"
"This is drifting steps. You must master the sword technique extensively in order to use it appropriately. You can utilize it in conjunction with your sword art once you've mastered it. That's when you begin to grasp the fundamentals of this sword skill."
'This is a skill. Even a G rank skill will set you back more than 20 million U. He is, without a doubt, a grandmaster, since who else would throw a D rank skill like that unless he is a grandmaster?'
"Once you've acquired that skill, you'll be able to use the first technique [Shadow drifting.]"
"Huh?"
The swordmaster wrapped the sword over my neck once more, but this time from behind. He seemed to be teleported to me.
"This is [Shadow drifting], not teleportation, as you can see. You can easily cut the little fries with this. When you meet an expert, however, they can see right through it."
'Amazing.'
"It's better for you to stay low and keep this technique hidden until you are strong enough."
"Don't worry I totally plan on doing that in the first place."
"The human race may have forgotten about me, but the demons and other races have not. Everyone, especially the devils, has a grudge against me. If they smell that you're utilizing my sword art by accident, you're not going to die easily, kiddo. Haha..."
'Tsk, I thought demons were the only ones, so I'll have to be extra cautious.'
"Are you interested in learning?"
I was startled awake by the Grandmaster's voice.
"Yes!"
I nodded eagerly and without hesitation.
This was the moment I had been anticipating!
"Excellent"
Grandmaster smiled calmly as if he'd already made up his mind.
Slowly approaching me, he tapped my brow.
My mind went blank as a torrent of information surged into my brain.
"All right, let's get started on the other stuff." The grandmaster entered a chamber.
****